23-stone footballer resigns after concerns he broke betting rules when he ate a pie during an Arsenal match

LONDON — Sutton United goalkeeper Wayne Shaw has resigned following concerns he broke betting rules when the 23-stone (322 pounds) substitute goalkeeper ate a pie during a blockbuster clash with Arsenal on Monday.

Reports that so-called "roly-poly-goalie" Shaw has agreed to resign came after the Football Association (FA) launched an investigation into the 46-year-old eating a baked good during the second half of Sutton's fifth-round FA Cup tie.

Sutton manager Paul Doswell told Sky News that the player was asked to step down. He said: "It's very disappointing. I woke up this morning to this storm of criticism and its something that we have dealt with quickly.

"Wayne himself offered his resignation to the chairman this afternoon and that has been accepted. It is a sad end to what has been a very good story."

Bookmaker Sun Bets issued odds of 8/1 that Shaw would eat a pie during the live BBC broadcast of the match, which Sutton lost 2-0 to Arsenal, a Premier League side ranked 104 places higher in English football.

After the match at Sutton's Gander Green Lane, Shaw admitted that a "few of the mates and fans" of the club had placed a bet on his pie eating stunt as a "bit of banter." He stressed that no players placed bets.

The FA is clear when it comes to betting on football. It states that no player, manager, or club staff member "can bet on a match or competition in which they are involved in, or which they can influence." It adds: "Participants are also prohibited from using or passing inside information for betting."

An FA spokesman told Business Insider: "We are investigating to establish whether there has been any breach of The FA rules relating to betting."

Earlier on Tuesday, Sutton played down concerns over Shaw's role in the stunt. Volunteer media officer Susie Keane told Business Insider that there was no betting, explaining: "They [the players] did not do any gambling. That's 100% no. It was just a bit of fun."

She also suggested that any winning bets may be invalid. "Let's get one thing right: It was a pasty, not a pie," Keane said.

Who ate all the pies?

Shaw's mid-game stunt has guaranteed him an overnight celebrity status but he is not the first goalkeeper to become synonymous with pie eating.

That honour belongs to former Sheffield United and Chelsea keeper William "Fatty" Foulke, a larger than life 6-foot-4, 24-stone (336 pounds) beast who is as famous for throwing opposition attackers into his own goal and stripping naked to chase after a referee, as he is for his 1899 FA Cup win.

Legend dictates that the infamous "Who ate all the pies?" chant was first sung by Blades fans in 1894 as their goalkeeper Foulke kept piling on the pounds.